Poll

There's a rumor that has been doing the rounds suggesting that a 13-inch 'iPad Maxi' could be on the cards for 2014. While we're pretty skeptical over any accuracy at all on this one, it does raise an interesting question. Should there ever be a larger than 9.7-inch iPad, would you want to pick one up?

There's an obvious, if niche, market for a larger display iPad. Folks with a design-centric profession for example could be appreciative of a larger display, as could medical professionals, or even schools. More room to view, more room to do, and still retain an air of portability over something like a MacBook.

The big talk of the week has definitely been cross-platform messaging. First up at BlackBerry Live, BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins dropped the huge news that their signature messaging platform, BBM, would be going cross-platform this summer and coming to iOS as well as Android. Then, literally 24 hours later Google stepped up and introduced their cross-platform offering, Google+ Hangouts, released the same day on iOS. What we want to know is; are you excited by either of these products?

The Retina MacBook Pro has been with us for almost a full year now. The 15-inch version came to us by way of WWDC 2012, and frankly was unlike any laptop computer ever seen. The incredible 2880x1800 resolution Retina Display had to be seen to be believed, and just like that Apple had the best laptop display ever produced.

The Retina MacBook Pro now also comes in a 13-inch form factor too, and the display is equally stunning to look at. Combined with a slimmer profile compared to the non-Retina MacBook Pro's, it's a remarkable piece of hardware.

Google Now: one of the signature features of the update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and beyond. Initially launching at the 2012 Google I/O developer conference, its grand purpose is to give you the information you want, without having to go and get it. Be that local weather, traffic information for your commute to work, sports scores, even now pulling in flight and package shipping information. If you travel to another country, Google Now will provide handy cards to calculate costs using the current exchange rate, for easy translation into the local tongue and even to tell you what the time is back home. Google Now is supposed to be your intelligent assistant. And now, it's with us on iOS.

Our friends over at CrackBerry highlighted a forum thread today where a BlackBerry 10 user claimed their iPhone-totting friends were jealous of all the shiny new features that phone had to offer. I've been using a BlackBerry Z10 for over a month now, and while I like a lot of the ideas BlackBerry is testing out in their new OS, I'm not in the least bit inclined to switch over yet, and I'm not sure jealousy has reared its ugly head even once.

The gesture navigation, even if less discoverable, is great once you get the hang of it, as are features like peek, where you can glimpse messages without transitioning completely into them, and the hub where all communications are aggregated. It really does feel like webOS all grown up, now sporting a suit and a tie. But there are still the types of quirks you'd expect to find in any new operating system, which need smoothing out and polishing up, and not only are a lot of major apps still missing, I can't find any of the apps I use every day on any platform outside iOS (looking at you Twitterrific, Tweetbot, Launch Center Pro, Fantastical, Drafts, Elements, etc.)

But I'm curious, if you've had a chance to see or try out BlackBerry 10, have you felt the least bit jealous? iOS is now the oldest platform in mobile, and BlackBerry 10 the newest, does that tempt you in any way? Or are you too busy enjoying what's still the best interface, app, and content experience to have even noticed BB10 yet?

Vote in the poll up top and let me know the details in the comments below!

Rumors, as always, are swirling over what next-generation Macs Apple might announce in 2013 in general, and at next month's WWDC show in specific. But which one are you most interested in?

The Retina MacBook Air is probably high on many people's wish lists. Like the Retina iPad mini, getting a 2x display into a device that's just as thin and gets just as good battery life is a daunting task, but if and when Apple can do it, would that be the Mac of your dreams? Or would an updated MacBook Pro, something running Intel's Haswell architecture, be enough, or perhaps even better for you?

What about a Retina iMac? If Apple could ship a 5120x2880 display in that new, razor-edged design, would that be every photographer, videographer, or just plain desktop lover's fantasy made manifest?

The Mac Pro has been languishing in update purgatory for the last few years, so how about -- finally -- an update to Apple's powerhouse? The latest Xeon processors, Thunderbolt support, maybe even a new casing design? Or what about the long-sought after Mac Mini Pro, a tiny tower that's still expandable to some degree but caters to a slightly more mid-range market.

Whether we see it at WWDC, later this fall, or even next year, what's your next dream Mac? Vote in the poll up top and let me know why in the comments below!

[evasi0n], the iOS 6 and iPhone 5 jailbreak, has been live for a couple of days now, so we want to know: did you pull the trigger? And if so, why?

For some, jailbreak makes the mainstream iOS decidedly more pro-friendly, adding numerous tweaks, themes, and other features that not only round out, but complete the experience. For others, it makes a stable system just as decidedly unstable.

If you did jailbreak, tell us the features you couldn't live without, and what you've done to make your iPhone or iPad perfect for your needs. If you didn't jailbreak, tell us what concerns you have, or why the jailbreak features aren't, or are no longer, compelling for you.

Given the recent rumors about an iWatch, we wanted to take a moment and you, the smartest iOS enthusiast community on the planet, what features you'd like to see in such a device, were Apple ever to release such a thing. Assuming it could link to our iPhones and iPads via Bluetooth 4.0 or similar technology, and exchange information back and forth with our constantly connected, larger capacity iOS devices, how would you like to see that used?

Would you want a Siri pass-through, so anything you said to the mic on your iWatch would be carried out by your iPhone and iPad, and the response sent back to the speaker on your wrist? That would let you send messages, place calls, add appointments, set alarms, and many other things.

Notification Center could display alerts on your iWatch, so you could casually glance at which apps are trying to get attention on your iPhone or iPad, and then follow up when and as needed. Widgets, like those included in Notification Center or Siri could allow for glance-able data, especially if they can be smart and predictive about it. Maybe even dedicated iWatch "companion" apps?

If the iWatch has a FaceTime camera built in, it could use Wi-Fi or piggy-back on your iOS 4G/3G connection to place video calls, right from your wrist. If the iWatch has iCloud built in, you could listen to iTunes music or videos streamed right to it, just like an Apple TV. Passbook integration could let your iWatch show your Starbucks card, movie ticket, or boarding pass without even having to reach into your pocket and pull out your iPhone.

Make all the maps jokes you want, but what about GPS directions show right on your watch? Or fitness features like Nike+ or the iPod nano pedometer?

Unless you're completely against the idea of an iOS iWatch, there are all sorts of features that aren't just intriguing, but downright compelling. Vote in the poll up top, and give us your grand vision and dreams in the comments below! (Or if you don't want it, tell us why!)

It's been just over a week now since Apple launched the iPad mini and while many of us are still waiting for our cellular iPad mini's to ship, others have had a chance to really give Apple's newest, smallest tablet a go. So what do you think?

Does the lack of Retina display bother you? Is it a deal-breaker? Do the things you do on your iPad mini make no Retina a non-issue, or a constant source of consternation? Is the smaller screen size a portability boost or a usability loss? Can you still read easily? Can you still tap easily? Does the smaller size mean you're carrying the iPad mini around a lot, in pockets or purses? Or does it just make it harder to get more serious work done?

I'm Canadian, so I care about the U.S. election only in so far as which candidate is less likely to invade us for our rich, tasty maple syrup reserves, and more likely to keep sending us movies, TV shows, and video games, all now the property of Disney Corp. Yet I understand a lot of you are U.S. citizens and care very much about the next 4 years of leadership in your country. So -- GET OUT AND VOTE.